Chapter 2.
Stars.
2.1
Astrologer.
We stood apart from everyone, at the edge of the clearing, watching an incredibly interesting spectacle.
Approaching, grandfather gazed incredibly intently at us, his eyes glittered ... as if he was looking not with his eyes, but with something through this very glitter.
- Well, finally ... I thought I can't wait ... he said.
- In what sense? Lulu and I blurted out at the same time.
- In such, that I was already waiting for you, lost count of what a full Moon.
- So we do it, at night we usually do not go skiing. Today it happened for the first time and even then ... purely by chance ... We gathered for a long time. The Marquis, an old friend of ours, a cat, says go on an exploration, tell then, what and how, and he himself is sleeping without hind legs now, in a warm chest of drawers somewhere.
- And who are you, what is your name, where are you from at last, why were you waiting for us? with cheeks red from frost, we were surprised to see not quite winter-dressed grandfather.
Only then we did notice, that his clothes were clearly at least strange for a given area, season, and indeed, time in general.
Long felt cloak with a hood, pointed leather boots.
Such clothes were commonly worn in ancient times in the East.
- Ah, so many questions, and all at once.
- Are you in a hurry ? he asked
- Actually, no, we answered.
Not a trace remained of the previous fear of transparent shadows, and such warmth emanated from that grandfather, and some kind of mystery, that we wanted to stay with him a little longer and get to know him.
Let's go, then, to my observatory.
- Where ? we exclaimed.
- To the observatory, he replied, embarrassed.
The three of us went through a small forest. We went to the edge of a huge field, also flooded with moonlight, where an untouched snowy downy snow-white carpet sparkled.
Here, among several tall old poplars, a turret was erected.
It was just above the trees in height. It stood in such a skillfully organic and inconspicuous way, that I never even suspected that something like this could be here.
From the side, I saw an inconspicuous door, entwined with ivy, to which we headed.
Grandpa deftly pulled out from somewhere in the depths of his cloak something rusty, similar to a key, digging into the keyhole, the door finally yielded and reluctantly opened with a creak.
Voila, grandpa said and gestured us inside.
It was quite cramped inside. In the corner, shimmering with embers, stood a small stove. Next to her was what looked like a couch covered with coniferous branches. All the decoration betrayed the grandpa as an inveterate bachelor, which did not seem to bother him at all.
Grandpa filled a pot with a snow and put it on the fire.
While we were waiting for tea to be ready, I noticed a table in the corner and a heap of randomly scattered papers. Judging by the scribbled sheets and markings, these were some kind of maps, all speckled with some kind of marks. Scattered nearby are some incomprehensible, previously unseen and unknown to me devices, similar to measuring instruments.
Finally, the tea was ready, and we sat down at a small, but very comfortable table by the stove itself.
Oh, what a tea it was! There, in my opinion, everything was mixed and tea leaves, and some herbs, and berries.
On top of that, Grandpa took out a jar of wild honey. It became somehow cozy at home.
Then I, observing etiquette, carefully asked, what he was doing in such a wilderness, in winter, and besides, alone ??
- You know, I myself have been asking myself more and more that question, he answered with irritation. But on the other hand, I'm already used to it, and I even like, to be here.
- The thing is that, I have been here for several years.
- Wow ! I whistled, and Lulu and me exchanged puzzled looks.
- Yes, yes ... I'm here, he thought, choosing the words, as you say, on ... a business trip ...
- Here ? In the forest ? On business trip ?? At that age?
- What about age? It does not matter...our new acquaintance said with resentment.
- What is your name? he asked.
Lulu and I introduced ourselves.
- And you, grandfather? we asked in response.
Then, he could not resist, spilling the tea offensively said:
- And why you all call me grandpa, he was offended as a child.
- Call me better, let's say, he thought again, remembering the words. The Astrologer …he said savoring the name as if tasted it.
- Yes ... Astrologer.
And then, he, straightening up, entered a good mood again, began to blow on hot tea.
- Yes, on a business trip, and there is nothing surprising here.
I'm fixing ... something.
- How?! we asked.
- I really like to be here.
- At first, of course, it was very lonely, but the work was somehow distracting. And then, when everything was done, a new assignment came.
- Sit still and wait. Everything will happen soon.
- What to expect? I wondered, but nothing can be done, work is work. And so, for the fourth winter I have been here.
- You know, over the years of waiting, I have already met everyone here. Foxes, hares, chipmunks, squirrels, beavers. I visited everyone's house, got acquainted with all the distant relatives from the surrounding villages.
- Even the this autumn, it is not clear how the Elk wandered in. Once I heard a strange rustle in the bushes - I immediately realized, that it was someone large. I look - moose. He ate some fermented fruit, and was resting drunk, leaning his back against a tree. It turned out that he was in a hurry to dance in a neighboring village.
- And the owls! The first thing I learned, was the language of birds.
- Uh-huh, pressing a head deeper into my shoulders, almost like an owl, I answered ...
- Yes ... At first, like everyone else, I went down the wrong path. I listened to sounds, trying to distinguish and decipher words, as separate semantic units, like some creatures. But thanks to travel experience, the next day I corrected the mistake.
Noticing, that the birds here constantly use the same signals, it became clear to me, that sounds are just a background, the medium, through which the exchange takes place.
- By the way, many local residents still think, that words as sounds, are carriers of information.
- Owls are a completely separate topic. Incredibly smart. When entering into a discussion with them on scientific topics, one must always be very careful, so as not to be a fool. Very often I had to be silent, suffering defeat, trying to preserve the remnants of at least some greatness.
- And finally, my pride ... Winter Olympics.
- For a long time skiers, and just everyone from the Sublunary world, asked to organize something similar. The first year I decided to gather everyone from the surrounding lands.
- The event was such a resounding success, that invitations were sent out to neighboring kingdoms for the second time.
- And next year, I don’t even know what to do - this forest and the track are not enough - everyone, who wants, not be able to accommodate.
- And so, I also have a plan for organizing the Regatta.
Lulu and I choked.
- Regatta ??
- Well, yes - answered our new acquaintance Astrologer. Why not. I really love to travel, discover new lands and their inhabitants.
- I heard, that many have seen sublunary ships. They can be combined into one regatta. Arrange something like a competition? Both pirate and other ships, let them try, on a healthy sports basis, so to speak, he laughed out loudly.
- What do you think?
Lulu and I pulled our heads in, and pretended to be drinking tea and nodded our heads.
2.2
First step.
- Let's go, I'll show you something interesting, said the Astrologer.
Then we noticed a staircase leading up. Carefully, with a creak, we climbed to the very top.
Upstairs we had an amazing sight.
Instead of a roof, there was a solid glass dome, in the middle was something vaguely resembling a telescope, and a small table with it.
The night was frosty, the sky was black and there was not a cloud in the sky. Perfect weather for any stargazing lover.
It seemed that on this night they all poured out a magic carpet, especially so that we could admire them. It was really impossible to tear yourself away from this sight.
Lulu and I immediately found the familiar constellations and began racing to brag about our knowledge to the Astrologer. I must say that looking at the starry sky is one of our favorite activities.
We already knew a thing or two. Different names of stars, huge distances, even the chilling temperature of space of minus 270 degrees, at which even the movement of molecules stops. That how deep our knowledge was!
Our friend listened to all this with undisguised curiosity. As if he expected something else from us.
We had already finished our explanations, and he was still waiting for something, but it seems he never heard, judging by the distressed look.
“Everything you just told me, friends, is worthless. So we will not go far with you.
- Like this ? And our wizards ?? Look how our science is developing! Huge money is allocated by the kingdom for a variety of instruments, expeditions to orbit, joint stations built by several kingdoms. For the sake of this, they even gave up fighting!
- Every day there are huge conferences, meetings, discussions. Each star is taken, discussed, measured, examined in all glass and non-glass tubes that are possible !!!
“It's unfair to accuse us of ignorance - Lulu and I are deliberately offended.
But the Astrologer was evidently more serious than ever.
“I was sent, and I have been sitting here for the last three years because of these moments.
- I was waiting for you.
- So, let's start from the very moment after birth, when your eyes began to see and the initial awareness appeared. What was the first and most grandiose thing you saw in the first place?
- Everything is correct. Your own star. And there is nothing around, that is more grandiose and attracting attention.
- Your whole life depends only on it. This means that there is some reason, why all your attention is directed to this particular object.
- All your wizards describe, all sorts of parameters of your star and its neighbors, and which can only be seen in glass tubes. Which are not even visible and even which are only supposed to be seen. All that is possible, just not that. They seem to be deliberately avoiding this.
- They describe Thing, Subject, Properties.
- No one has ever voiced the main thing, without which all this chatter becomes meaningless.
- And what is it? Lulu and I exhaled.
- What could be more important, and after all, everyone chews as best they can, and the devices already allow a lot. And if not all the smallest details are described, then no one is perfect ...
- No, that's not the point, properties are important.
- Let's go from the other side. All your life experience tells about one thing - any thing in nature is not accidental!
- The whole chain, even every tiny link in any chain of the surrounding world, serves some purpose.
-Everyone is doing some kind of work.
- All have their own specific Function.
- So my question is more specific than ever, and I would like to hear the same specific answer.
-What is the Function of your star?
- Uff ..., looking for a place to sit, Lulu and I exhaled ...
- Who will answer you to that. There are tons of easier questions that cannot be answered.
- Our wizards do not know why, for example, the ocean is salty, not that about the stars.
- Oh yes, here it is - the Function - to warm us - it is like a stove, we cannot live without it, I replied with relief.
- By the way, according to historical data, it has already warmed a whole series of civilizations long before us. We have already lost what in a row.
- Well, answered the Astrologer. And the myriads of other stars - what is their Function?
- To warm the aliens, Lulu and I were not taken aback and laughed together. But the Astrologer did not support us in this.
- So, the stars are like one class, a phenomenon. Yes, they are different, with various properties, but they all have the same Function. In addition, the stars are the main building block of the Universe, continued by grandpa.
- Take a closer look at the sky, continued our new acquaintance.
- Suppose, that since the stars are something the same as a class, then they are parts of something huge and common.
- Of course in common! The Universe !! who does not know! cried Lulu and me.
- So, I will repeat my question one more time - What is the Function of the stars as a part of the Universe ???
- Well, we certainly don't know ... we surrendered.
- This question is the cornerstone and the First, the strange Astrologer answered.
- Answering it, the chain of questions, will open at once.
- The questions, that excite most of the minds of the inhabitants of your lands, and all other kingdoms.
- This is a whole series of eternal questions, that will begin to unfold in front of you like flowers.
- This is an amazing feeling.
- So, maybe you can tell us? we rushed to him.
- No, unfortunately, I can't. Most of all, I am afraid, that my answer will seem fictional and will only aggravate the situation, throwing you far back.
- But with our wizards, we will probably wait another couple of thousand years, we replied.
- Well, our dear Astrologer answered, I will sit here in the old place and wait for you.
Downstairs, on the table, Lulu and I noticed a rather unusual object. It looked more like some kind of compass, strange markings, some main stars were marked.
Having never seen it before, I don't know why, but I knew this thing was for navigation.
- It was not even the instrument itself that seemed strange, but the engraved inscription on it, in completely unthinkable hieroglyphs, and if you look at them from different angles, they began to wriggle and come to life in the reflections of burning logs.
- What is it ?? Lulu and I asked with undisguised surprise.
- Have you heard anything about Crossroads? - he answered a question with a question.
- No, we answered, realizing that the question was asked for a reason.
- Crossroads are those places where travelers, a special and rarest caste of the most diverse and interesting creatures, after endless wanderings, meet each other.
- They have a little time to sit with old friends, to meet new ones.
- Tell countless exciting stories that happened to them along the way. Give advice to each other, suggest, warn against the impending dangers, provide help.
- What does this inscription mean? - we could not help but ask.
- The astrologer thought for a minute, as if he were deciding something.
-This is one of the most ancient and fundamental law, which is older than all the pilgrims put together, and which is known to each of them.
He reads the following: -
"If any System tends to Infinity, then each of its members (or a phenomenon peculiar to it) also tends to infinity" ...
We walked slowly down the stairs.
I didn't want to leave.
There was a great desire to ask the mysterious grandfather about a thousand other things, but nothing can be done about it.
Putting on our skis, Lulu and I rode home through the sparkling creaky snow.